“I gave them a batch of pills three months ago, but that’s all I had. One component is difficult to come by—”
“To who?” Kai asked.
“I don’t know. Just some guy.” Then he asked, “The guy they’re giving the drug to… have you seen him? Do you know what it does?”
“We have him,” Kai said.
“He’s my brother,” Georgie said.
My dad’s eyes widened. “He’s dangerous. The drug, it clouds his memories and he won’t even know what he’s done. He more than likely won’t know who you are and will do whatever they want. And it also has steroids in it to enhance—”
“Invincibility. Yeah, we figured that out,” Deck stated.
My dad continued, “How long since his last pill? He’ll have withdrawals and it could be worse. Some of the mice… well, they died when I stopped the drug.”
I glanced at Georgie who paled and reached for Deck’s hand.
My dad looked at me, the tight expression fading as the wrinkles sagged. “London, you know how this works. He can’t go off the drug. Not without severe side effects and maybe even death.”
Deck’s voice was gravelly and abrupt. “How long?”
“I don’t know. The mice, they went into a frenzy, a rage, then after a few days, they began to cramp up then had seizures until… well, until they passed.”
“Fuckin’ Christ.” Deck slammed his fist into the wall.
My dad quickly continued, “But weaning him off it would work. A slow withdrawal and you—”
“Quiet,” Kai interrupted as he threw open the door into the tunnel. “Wait here.”
I watched as he disappeared into the darkness, the tinge of blue light flickering for a brief second before it disappeared, too. Deck was on edge, but calm, Georgie sheltered by his body, gun in hand. It was only seconds before Kai jogged back up the stairs and snagged my hand and pulled me away.
“No go. Don’t know how many, but they’re headed this way.”
Deck was already moving down the corridor toward the north stairwell. A cell rang and the only one to have a ringing cell would be my dad. All of ours were on silent.
He quickly looked at the screen then stopped, his face paling.
“Dad?”
Deck and Kai looked at one another, then Deck jogged down the corridor a little further and peeked around the corner.
“It’s my contact for the drug,” my dad said.
“Answer it,” Kai ordered.
I put my hand on my dad’s arm and squeezed. He looked scared with wide eyes and trembling hands as he tapped on his phone then held it to his ear.
“Hello?” He listened for ten seconds then hung up and turned to Kai. “They know you’re here.”
Kai half-grinned. “Then they should be worried.” He chin-lifted to Deck. “Evac?”
“North stairs to basement. Vic will cover us out the emergency door.”
We were moving fast as Deck took lead, Georgie behind, then my dad and me with Kai taking up the rear. Deck stopped, holding out his hand as the elevators fifty feet away dinged.
“Shit. Back,” he ordered. “Vic. We need an exit. North exit and tunnels compromised.”
My dad ran up ahead. “West. There is a—”
Gunshots echoed down the sterile corridor and Kai grabbed me, shoving me in front of him then pushed me into an alcove.
“Dad?”
“Right here, sweetie,” he said.
Deck and Georgie were in an alcove across the hall.
“Can you get us in this lab?” Kai asked my dad.
“Yeah, but there is no way out.”
“Do it.”
My dad typed in a code and the door beeped but it didn’t open. “I can’t override the lockdown.” He typed in the code again and it beeped, but the door remained locked.
I reached in my pocket and pulled out my gun. Kai saw me do it and nodded once. I heard footsteps and then gunshots, but they were from Deck.
As Deck shot off a few rounds, Kai peered around the corner and the drywall splintered right beside his head. I gasped. Oh, God, they were shooting to kill. They were going to kill us.
Kai stepped back from the door and kicked it. It didn’t budge. “Fuck.” He grabbed my wrist and pushed me back against it. “Shoot anyone who comes near you. Understand?” I nodded, but I was silently freaking out. I’d seen people shot, murdered, beaten, but it was when I didn’t care about anything. Now I had my father and Kai and Deck and Georgie.
Kai looked at my dad. “They’re coming from both sides. We can sit here and be sitting ducks or take them out. I don’t do the sitting duck thing or surrender, so that means you stay with her.”
“What? Kai?” What was he thinking of doing? I reached for him, but he shoved me back with his palm on my chest.
“You need to stay right there.”
I jerked at more gunshots. Deck was shooting as was Georgie, but not for long as Deck grabbed her and pushed her back out of harm’s way. Deck glanced across the hallway at Kai and raised his hand, indicating five to the right and three to the left.